Lythrum portula Water-purslane

A prostrate, hairless annual with opposite, spoon-shaped leaves, which creeps along the ground, rooting itself into the mud on which it grows. It is a plant of seasonally or occasionally flooded habitats, sometimes submerged, but avoiding peaty, nutrient-poor acidic substrates. It often grows with species such as Tufted Forget-me-not (Myosotis laxa) and Common Spike-rush (Eleocharis palustris). The small, rather inconspicuous purple-pink flowers usually have 6 petals and 6 long-pointed sepals, which are found close to the stem, one per leaf axil. It is mostly a plant of the west and north of Britain, found throughout Wales, but it is often rather local. It has a scatttered, largely upland distribution in West Glamorgan and it is frequently abundant in places where it is found. It has become scarcer in recent decades as a result of habitat loss, drainage and successional changes.

Native